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American politician From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Richard Cutts (June 28, 1771 – April 7, 1845) was an American merchant and politician. A Democratic-Republican, he was most notable for his service as Second Comptroller of the United States Treasury from 1817 to 1829 and a United States representative from Massachusetts from 1801 to 1813.
Richard Cutts | |
|---|---|
Portrait by Gilbert Stuart | |
| Second Comptroller of the United States Treasury | |
| In office March 6, 1817 – March 21, 1829 | |
| Preceded by | None (position created) |
| Succeeded by | Isaac Hill |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 14th district | |
| In office March 4, 1801 – March 3, 1813 | |
| Preceded by | George Thatcher |
| Succeeded by | Cyrus King |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 28, 1771 Pepperellborough, Massachusetts Bay, British America (now Saco, Maine) |
| Died | April 7, 1845 (aged 73) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican |
| Spouse | Anna Payne (m. 1804-1832, her death) |
| Relations | James Madison (brother-in-law) Dolley Madison (sister-in-law) James M. Cutts (grandson) Adèle Cutts Douglas (granddaughter) |
| Children | 7 (including Mary Cutts) |
| Alma mater | Harvard University |
| Occupation | Merchant |
| Signature | .png){kind=small} |
Cutts was born Cutts Island on June 28, 1771.[1] The island was near the town of Pepperellborough in Massachusetts Bay's Province of Maine (modern-day Saco, Maine).[1] The fifth of eight children born to Thomas Cutts and Elizabeth Scammon Cutts,[2] he attended the rural schools of Maine and Phillips Academy, Andover.[3] He graduated from Harvard University in 1790, then traveled extensively in Europe.[1] Cutts' father was a shipbuilder and merchant who traded in lumber and other cargoes at ports in several Caribbean islands.[4] Cutts studied law, but rather than pursuing a legal career, he also became a successful trader and merchant.[5]
A Democratic-Republican, Cutts served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1799 and 1800.[1] In 1800 he was elected to the Seventh U.S. Congress.[1] He was reelected five times and served from March 4, 1801, to March 3, 1813.[1] He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1812 to the Thirteenth Congress.[1]
During the War of 1812, Cutts was appointed as the federal superintendent general of military supplies, and he served from 1813 to 1817.[1] In 1817, he was appointed Second Comptroller of the Treasury, the first individual to hold this post.[6] He served until March 21, 1829, and was succeeded by Isaac Hill.[6]
In retirement, Cutts was a resident of Washington, D.C.[7] He died in Washington on April 7, 1845.[7] Cutts was buried at St. John's Graveyard, and in 1857 he was reinterred at Oak Hill Cemetery.[7]
In 1804, Cutts married Anna Payne, whose sister Dolley Madison was the wife of Secretary of State (and later, President) James Madison.[1] They were the parents of seven children, five sons and two daughters:[8]
Cutts' daughter Mary was close to Dolley Madison and wrote two memoirs about her.[9] Cutts' grandson James M. Cutts was a member of the Union Army during the American Civil War and a recipient of the Medal of Honor.[10] His granddaughter Adèle Cutts Douglas was the second wife of Senator Stephen A. Douglas.[11]
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